North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), a grassroots civil society organisation based in Jorhat, Assam, participated in the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD), convened by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) from 24–27 February, 2026, at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.
Tirtha Prasad Saikia, Director of NEADS, represented the organisation at the Forum. He also participated in his capacity as the Constituency Focal Point for People Affected by Conflicts and Disasters and as a Regional Coordinating Committee Member of the Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (APRCEM).
During the Forum, Mr. Saikia delivered an intervention statement on behalf of the constituency of People Affected by Conflicts and Disasters, drawing attention to the lived realities of communities facing recurrent disasters, displacement and climate-induced vulnerabilities across the Asia-Pacific region. He emphasized the urgent need to localise the Sustainable Development Goals through community-led planning and action, recognise grassroots knowledge and frontline responders in resilience-building processes, and strengthen social protection, risk-informed development and inclusive governance for vulnerable populations. He further highlighted the importance of ensuring that policies and financing mechanisms reach communities most affected by disasters and conflicts, while building stronger partnerships between civil society, governments and regional institutions to accelerate equitable recovery and sustainable development.
Mr. Saikia called upon stakeholders to deliver on Grand Bargain commitments by advancing localisation through predictable, flexible and direct funding to rights holders at the local level. He stressed that resilience and humanitarian actions must be localised by recognising communities as equal partners and by strengthening local capacity through sustained public investment in institutions, knowledge exchange and community-led innovation. He underlined that those most affected are not passive recipients of aid but are the first responders and custodians of contextual knowledge, and that their leadership must be recognised as central to sustainable development, peacebuilding and climate action. He also emphasised the vital need to integrate the humanitarian–development–peace–climate nexus within Global Humanitarian Response Plans to address root causes and deliver durable solutions.
The Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) serves as a key regional mechanism for reviewing progress on the 2030 Agenda and fostering collaboration among governments, UN bodies and civil society to advance inclusive and sustainable development. NEADS participation reinforced the importance of amplifying community voices within regional policy spaces and strengthened collaboration with civil society networks and development actors across Asia-Pacific committed to leaving no one behind.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president and MP Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday launched a sharp counter-offensive against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, calling the much-hyped SIT report a “super flop” and accusing the CM of staging six months of political drama to divert attention from land and corruption allegations.
Addressing a packed press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, Gogoi said the Chief Minister had kept the SIT report for six months, only to unveil it through a “manufactured spectacle” involving national media, which ultimately failed to produce a single piece of evidence against him. “He swung a mace in the air, but there was nothing in his hands,” Gogoi said.
Flanked by MPs...
A multi-crore dairy project at Sanbasa in Nazira has collapsed amid serious allegations of financial irregularities and internal mismanagement, dealing a severe blow to rural livelihoods in the area.
The Sundarpukhuri Dairy Cooperative Society, formed by local farmers under the initiative of Dr. Jagadish Barman, once served as a crucial source of income for over 245 Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The cooperative reportedly contributed nearly ₹1 crore annually to the local rural economy.
As part of its expansion, the cooperative launched its own marketing network under the brand name “Kareng” and set up a milk pasteurization plant at Sanbasa village. However, internal disputes...
Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over a recent press conference, dismissing it as “worse than a C-grade cinema” and accusing the Chief Minister of making baseless and sensational claims.
The Chief Minister, however, maintained that the allegations involving Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and Elizabeth Gogoi—wife of Gaurav Gogoi—were serious in nature and should not be treated lightly.
Addressing the media, CM Sarma said the matter assumed greater significance as it involved a sitting Member of Parliament. “These are grave allegations. When a sitting MP, who...
Handique Girls’ College will confer the 3rd Rajabala Das National Award on noted author and senior journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, President of the Press Club of India, in recognition of her significant contributions to society and journalism. The award will be presented on March 8, 2026, at a special function to be held on the college campus.
On the occasion, the Rajabala Das Memorial Annual Lecture will be delivered by eminent journalist and thinker Prasanta Rajguru, Editor-in-Chief of Prag News.
Instituted in 2024, the Rajabala Das National Award is conferred annually on a personality of national stature who has made outstanding contributions to society. The award includes a...
Guwahati, 4 February: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday held a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, during which party leaders made a series of allegations against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and launched an online platform to collect information related to their claims.
The press conference was attended by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress election observer Bhupesh Baghel, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in charge of Assam Jitendra Singh, APCC President Gaurav Gogoi, and other senior party leaders. During the event, a video titled “Who Is Himanta Biswa Sarma?” was released, followed by the launch of a QR-code-enabled template...
Guwahati, January 24: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Friday mounted a blistering attack on the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government, branding it a regime of “vote thieves, land thieves, cattle thieves and water thieves,” while addressing a massive public rally at Hatikholia Ground, Moranjana, near Rangia.
Addressing nearly 20,000 supporters, Gogoi raised what he termed the central political question before the people of Assam—“Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?”—and said the Congress must now directly reach out to the masses. He called for the immediate formation of small outreach teams comprising youth and women to go door-to-door and explain the...
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday launched the nationwide “Save MGNREGA Movement” in the state, opposing the Modi-led NDA government’s move to amend the MGNREGA Act and introduce a new law under the name “VB-G RAM G”.
As part of the first phase of the agitation, press conferences were held simultaneously at district headquarters across Assam, including Kamrup Metropolitan, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideu, Hailakandi, Darrang and Baksa. District Congress Committee presidents and senior party leaders addressed the media.
In Guwahati, senior Pradesh Congress spokespersons Kushal Sharma, Rupak Das and Anita Devi addressed the press at the...
A strong call to unite the indigenous communities of Northeast India on a common platform was made at a roundtable discussion held on January 6 to mark the 21st death anniversary of noted nationalist leader Nibaran Bora. The discussion, titled “Crisis of Indigenous Peoples of Northeast India and Its Solutions”, resolved to carry forward Bora’s vision and ideology for safeguarding indigenous identity and rights.
The meeting was attended by representatives of several indigenous organisations from Assam and other Northeastern states. Uncompromising nationalist leader Hasibur Rahman, a close associate of the late leader, delivered the keynote address, highlighting the growing threat to the...
Amid escalating political unrest ahead of its national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026, Bangladesh has recorded the killing of journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi, who has become the first journalist worldwide to be murdered this year. The global media safety and rights organisation Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) has strongly condemned the killing and demanded a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.
According to local media reports, Bairagi (45), a resident of Arua village in the Jessore region of southern Bangladesh, was fatally shot in the head by three assailants on January 5, 2026. The editor of the Bengali daily Dainik BD Khabar was found dead at Kopalia...
In a major crackdown on terror networks, a special NIA court in Guwahati has convicted Md. Kamruj Zaman, a key accused in a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terror conspiracy case, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Zaman, also known as Dr Hurairah and Kamaruddin, was awarded life imprisonment under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with two additional sentences of five years’ simple imprisonment under other UAPA provisions. All sentences will run concurrently. The court also imposed fines in each case.
The case relates to a 2017–18 conspiracy to set up an HM terror module in Assam to carry out terrorist activities and spread fear. NIA investigations...
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